Introducing administrative reform through the application of computer‐based information systems: A case study in India
| Date | 01 February 1993 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230130104 |
| Published date | 01 February 1993 |
| Author | Shirin Madon |
PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION AND
DEVELOPMENT,
VOL.
13,3748
(1993)
Introducing administrative reform through the application of
computer-based information systems: a case study in India
SHIRIN MADON
London
Schoof
of
Economics
SUMMARY
Administrative reform in a number of developing countries has recently been directed at
achieving decentralization through the diffusion
of
information technology to local areas.
However, despite these efforts, the main objective
of
improving the effectiveness
of
development
planning and monitoring systems remains unfulfilled because of poor integration between
the process of technology adoption and the context within which the technology is imple-
mented. There is a paucity
of
literature that aims to make explicit the nature
of
this integration.
This paper aims to offer
a
contribution in this direction by describing the case
of
the computer-
ized rural information systems project
(CRISP)
in India. The results show that during the
first few years of implementation information technology served to reinforce existing inefficien-
cies within the bureaucracy. Information technology was later used as a vehicle for promoting
change within the administration as local administrators acquired the flexibility to direct
the technology towards their own requirements.
INTRODUCTION
The environment facing developing countries has become increasingly more turbu-
lent, dynamic and complex. As a result, increasing demands have been placed on
public administration in these countries to regulate socioeconomic development
(Conyers and Hills, 1984). With the declining cost of microcomputers and rapid
improvements
in
hardware and software technology, a number of developing coun-
tries have recently been prompted
to
direct administrative reform towards achieving
decentralized development planning through the diffusion of technology to a relati-
vely small area of administration known as the district. A central goal of all these
initiatives has been to improve access to information, thereby producing more
informed, better-reasoned decision making.
In
India, district planning was introduced
to the states, with the National Informatics Centre placing microcomputers in each
of the 439 districts (Sanwal, 1987). In Kenya, the resource management for rural
development project was engaged in the introduction of microcomputers in the dis-
tricts (MPND, 1987). In South-East Asia, Malaysia extended its integrated develop-
ment project information system to the districts (Han and Render, 1989).
With all these initiatives, however, the main objective of improving development
planning and monitoring systems remains unfulfilled (Sanwal, 1990). The main reason
for this stems from the fact that these efforts have been designed and developed
at the level of central government without due consideration of the inherent character-
Dr Madon
is
at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Information
Systems, Houghton Street, London
WC2A
2AE,
UK.
027
1-207
5/93/0
10037-1
2$11
.oo
0
1993
by John Wiley
&
Sons, Ltd.
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